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Words from the new boss

From today’s press conference featuring new President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman:

“It’s going to be a good life lesson for me, because I’m not patient.”

That was in response to a rather insular question about his introduction to LA traffic, but it could be (the fans hope) a philosophy he’ll take toward addressing the team’s needs in getting them back to the World Series sooner rather than later.

Jon covered the show, and if you click the link above you’ll find more nuggets of wisdom from the new man.

I’ll leave this post at the top for a while, at least until the Series starts on Tuesday.

I have always been a Dodgers fan and even I will concede the Giants have (and have had for the last 10 or 12 years) better management, on the field and upstairs. I still think our players have been better but they never proved it…

I used to hate the Giants because that’s what’s expected of Dodger fans. But the Bryan Stow tragedy changed my whole perspective on “hating” another team (tho the Raiders may be the exception to that). Plus, I’ve known and liked some people, then learned they are SF fans . . . and I begrudgingly realized they ARE human and still likeable.

I give talks at churches and used sports to differentiate between praise and worship. Applying to this case, I will praise the Giants (i.e. acknowledge their accomplishments) but I will not “worship” them (Go, Blue — Dodger and Royal!).

Based on the few words I have read, so far I like Billy Eppler as GM more than Byrns or Minniti. Billy Eppler is 38 and seems like a good communicator and stat guy. As far as Managers go, I will wait for AJ Ellis to retire as a player and make him Mattingley’s replacement.

I had ribs in KC but came home talking about the coleslaw that came with them.

Neither LA nor Tampa would make that trade. A reminder that while Pederson looked good in the minors, he didn’t impress anyone in his very small opportunity in the bigs in September. Not throwing him out, just saying give him a little more seasoning in Oklahoma City. And Seager has never played above AA. And Haren, already under contract if he chooses to play, is arguably better than either of the four pitchers you suggest. Just Fix bayonets and Charge, eh? You have guts, I’ll give you that…

I assume by your comment that you think LA and Miami would have different reasons for not making that trade such as Miami values pitching over offense and LA already has 3 good pitchers. Otherwise, if the trade were lopsided, one of the teams would want to make that trade.

Pederson was put into some tough spots at a high pressure time of the season and it wasn’t like Puig was showing him up. Hopefully Puig will figure out how to hit a fastball and what to do with sliders that follow an inside fastball and when he does, do the pitchers adjust with slow stuff?

I think Crawford will be packaged with another player plus money and traded. If Stanton says he will only sign a contract extension with the Dodgers he becomes a one year rental and his trade value is diminished. The Dodgers just have to wait for the end of 2015 to sign him.

If you want to love and defend Puig, do it. I think he is a tradeable asset that can help the Dodgers reduce the number of outfielders they have and increase the number of good pitchers in their rotation. Hopefully, there are a few GMs out there that still think as you and less as me.

Perhaps you shouldn’t defend your trade by bad mouthing Puig. You don’t have to love him, but you might want to realize that your disappointment as revealed by how you speak of him has to do with high expectations and not his actual performance.

Ha! Thank you for clarifying on throwing-to-the-wrong base(I think). Though, you did say “half empty”. Don’t think this will happen, in any event, so where else might we good 2-3 starter for an outfielder plus? Cuz, I agree that is what we need. I would have hoped that Joc might have fetched Lester, but guess they wanted Seager and probably Lee as well.

Let me throw this out again as it has been awhile since the last time I did. Puig has the agility, quickness, and arm strength and accuracy to play third base. Don’t make my point for me by saying Puig can’t figure out what to do with the ball in the outfield much less third base.

I think Sweeney is about ready to backup second base and I am happy with Gordon. I like Turner backing up third base with Uribe starting in 2015. I would prefer to see Seager start at shortstop in 2015 but not sure what to do if he needs to go back to the minors for a little more seasoning.

I no longer think Arrubarrena is the answer at short. He seems to lack mental toughness.play. That said, if Seager doesn’t prove ready in the AFL and the 2015 preseason, might have to see what Arrubarrena can do starting at short in 2015. If he does really well, Seager maybe should be moved to third.

If Ramirez were to accept the $15M one year offer the Dodgers might offer him, it would give the Dodgers time to replace him at short in 2016. If the Dodgers were somehow able to trade Crawford, Ethier, and Puig, Ramirez could be an option for left field if he would agree to a 3 year contract at $20M/year.

I think Hanley is the answer. 3 years, 1 at SS and 2@ third base. That would give Seager a year to season and use Hanley at 3rd in 2016 and 17. I think Dee might need to get traded and put Guerrrero at 2nd. Or trade Guerrero. I think Guerrero’s bat might be better than Dee. Alphabet is of no value. All glove no bat.

If Puig were traded, it would be a good idea if Kemp and two of the following: Crawford, Ethier, Van Slyke were kept giving the Dodgers 4 outfielders plus short term uses of Guerrero, Schebler, and perhaps Turner should Pederson need to be sent back down like Trout was when he first came up.,

Gotta give to get. The A’s gave up Cespedes. Lester gave the A’s an ERA+ of 159 in 11 games and was to be their ace for increasing their chances to go deep in the playoffs. Losing Cespedes, however, was a big negative on the offense so they were reduced to the wild card playoff. Losing Joc would not have been a drag on our offense. Would have done that deal in a hearbeat. After all, as you say, we have too many outfielders.

I see Joc celebrating in the dugout, participating in the bubbles, having fun, dressing up in a costume, getting coffee. He was voted most exciting player in Dodger minor league system two years in a row, MVP of Pacific Coast League. He is likable.

I think it would be fun to watch Kemp, Pederson, and Puig play together in the outfield for years to come. Just have to figure out how to move Crawford and Ethier and as much of their salary as possible to another team and add a #4 and #5 starter to the rotation. That probably eliminates the Dodgers from signing Stanton in 2016 and means the additional pitcher will either cost $20M to $28M per year with 4 to 7 year contracts or will be innings eater pitchers with 4.5 ERAs.

Pederson should hit second to take advantage of his OBP while maturing into maybe a 3, 4, or 5 hitter in future years. He is a better CF than Puig and the outfield hole is CF. Kemp should be stronger for 2015 and best fits as a RF.

Dodgers could use another good pitcher in their rotation but don’t seem inclined to spend $20M/year for that pitcher. So, trading Puig for a good pitcher seems like a possibility if not an opportunity.

Puig lives in Miami and he would be somebody that would help fill seats. Fernandez is more than a good pitcher and is not expensive.

A platoon of Ethier and Van Slyke seems like a good plan for 2015 in that it doesn’t block signing Stanton as a free agent in 2016 should the Dodgers want to do that. Trading Crawford and Puig tells Stanton that if he doesn’t extend his contract he could join the team he has expressed he wants to play for–the Dodgers in 2016.

Presuming Pederson can prove himself offensively, the best OF alignment would have Kemp in LF and Puig in RF (where his arm plays best). Kemp is now sub-standard defensive OFer, but his bat helps compensate.

Crawford is once again a good offensive player, but his arm is Juan Pierre quality and Pederson has a much higher ceiling. SVS, for the Dodgers, is a utility player but could probably start for some teams. Ethier has little or no value any more.

Don’t forget SVS is also Agon’s back-up. As long as we have Crawford, SVS’s main utility will be backing-up Agon and pinch-hitting. Crawford’s throwing is so offensive I would gladly trade him for anything useful…

Crawford was valuable this year, especially down the stretch, but he’s a near amputee in the OF. SVS can play OF capably, but he is useful at 1B when AGon needs a day off. Ethier is the tough one, because he’s lost almost all value.

Crawford’s contract is more untradeable than Ethier’s (though I could in theory envision Ethier making a comeback, his value is almost nil at present). The Fish would want nothing to do with an aging player like Crawford, for that matter. Stanton is a nice pipe dream.

SungWoo Lee, the diehard Royals fan from South Korea whose visit to Kansas City earlier this summer made headlines around the sports world, is on his way back to watch his favorite team compete in the World Series. The Royals have gone 40-20 in the regular season and playoffs since Lee first arrived in the United States on August 5. Lee’s very first game at Kauffman Stadium was a matchup between the Royals and (talk about karma) the Giants on August 9, which was won by K.C. as part of a three-game sweep.

In my opinion, SS is going to be a problem if Hanley is not resigned. I don’t think he will be resigned even though he wants to be in L.A. Assuming he doesn’t, they have Alphabet, Rojas, Guerrero, and Seager and Turner to chose. None of which seem to be a good choice at this time. Who do you think will be the starting SS in 2015? I am hoping for Hanley.

You know how the Dodgers used to talk about the Dodger way to play ball. I was wondering if that ended with the sale of the Dodgers to Fox and then to McCourt. Was it even real or just marketing.

Could the Dodgers reinvent Dodger ball through player development so that all minor leaguers are not only trained in the skills that are Dodger Ball but know the stats that Dodger Ball covets?

If so, I would think Madden would be the perfect guy for Friedman to have as VP of Player Development. Madden would be the new incarnation of Branch Rickey, Al Campanis, Buzzie Bavasi with Mattingley taking on the role of Walter Alston and Tom Lasorda.

For the last 20 to 30 years, too many people in the Dodger organization were not part of the old Dodger Ball nor anything that might be considered “the Dodgers way of playing ball”. Now, with the new owners and with Friedman at the lead, a new executive team might be created that will work together to create a new and better Dodger Ball–maybe.

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